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The ultimate approach in getting 100UMS in every math/fm module?

This is my approach.

Every Edexcel book question [My board is Edexcel]

All the papers + RE's in the books.

CGP Revision Guide

Solomon Exercises

Solomon Papers

Elmwood Papers

Gold Papers

Edexcel Papers

AQA papers

OCR papers

CIE papers

WJEC papers

Exam Solution videos




I am also taking the SAT, SAT 2 math level 1+level 2, intend to take maths challenge and igcse FM Level 3, level 2 FM (AQA), and the FSMQ.

Already obtained A*'s in maths and stats GCSE.

C1= 89
C2=83
S1=83
Awful UMS already obtained, taken early.

Will take modules C3 C4 M1 M2 FP1 FP2 S2 S3 D1.

Are there any other resources that I should use to enhance my understanding - are the oxford books worth getting - or is what I am doing already + what I intend to do enough.

C3 covered all the content, hitting the questions that I got wrong the first time in the book and doing papers.

Any advice would be most welcome.

-Damien
(edited 9 years ago)
You can do every paper on earth and still not guarantee 100 UMS in an exam situation. The best you can do is make sure that you have a good understanding of the syllabus as well as doing most, if not all questions in the books, in addition to doing plenty of papers. The final element necessary to get 100 UMS is luck.

I think what you're attempting to do is excessive. If you actually manage to finish all the Edexcel papers for the current syllabus (since 2004), and the solomon papers, it may be worth looking at a few papers from other exam boards, but there is definitely no need to do all of those papers as well.

Additionally, doing FSMQ, AQA Level 2 FM, etc, alongside A-Level Maths is redundant as you'd just be covering the same content; it's the same with gold papers - they include questions from past years that people found hard, but if you're going to do all the Edexcel questions anyway, you'll just be repeating questions that you've already done.
Reply 2
Original post by ThatPerson
You can do every paper on earth and still not guarantee 100 UMS in an exam situation.


Yes, the ugly truth is that the examiners are not perfect (even after requesting a re-mark), and more importantly the marking schemes are not perfectly unambiguous. A-levels are not pure multiple choice, so even in Mathematics a perfect score is impossible to guarantee even with perfect, deep understanding of the material.

You *do* need to get above 90 (at least, almost always) if you want to be perceived as "excellent", for example by Oxbridge. Sad, but true. I think that's a reflection of the completely wrong direction A-levels have gone in over the last 20 years, but ... off topic :smile:

Agree with previous poster, you are going overboard with all the different papers. Be more focused, and find teachers who can really review the fine detail of your own syllabus with you.
Original post by ThatPerson
You can do every paper on earth and still not guarantee 100 UMS in an exam situation. The best you can do is make sure that you have a good understanding of the syllabus as well as doing most, if not all questions in the books, in addition to doing plenty of papers. The final element necessary to get 100 UMS is luck.

I think what you're attempting to do is excessive. If you actually manage to finish all the Edexcel papers for the current syllabus (since 2004), and the solomon papers, it may be worth looking at a few papers from other exam boards, but there is definitely no need to do all of those papers as well.

Additionally, doing FSMQ, AQA Level 2 FM, etc, alongside A-Level Maths is redundant as you'd just be covering the same content; it's the same with gold papers - they include questions from past years that people found hard, but if you're going to do all the Edexcel questions anyway, you'll just be repeating questions that you've already done.


Thanks for the reply.

Yes that is correct, there would be some overlap.

I wouldn't consider luck a factor anyhow. If you know the content inside out and have prepped enough - then short of getting ill on the exam day - or other things, then luck shouldn't really matter.

I just really want to get 100 UMS in those modules, it will be a lot of work with my other subjects. But I enjoy maths, so dedication etc. shouldn't be a problem.
Understand - if you understand the material you do not need any of your long list

It sounds as though you do not understand but you think that doing enough questions will mean that you get a question that is the same as one you have done
No MEI love? :frown:

As above, whilst your dedication is admirable, that's way overboard. Understand the content, learn how to make sure all your working out is written in such a way that you hit max marks, and practise a lot (although maybe not as much as you have listed)
Original post by waxwing
Yes, the ugly truth is that the examiners are not perfect (even after requesting a re-mark), and more importantly the marking schemes are not perfectly unambiguous. A-levels are not pure multiple choice, so even in Mathematics a perfect score is impossible to guarantee even with perfect, deep understanding of the material.

You *do* need to get above 90 (at least, almost always) if you want to be perceived as "excellent", for example by Oxbridge. Sad, but true. I think that's a reflection of the completely wrong direction A-levels have gone in over the last 20 years, but ... off topic :smile:

Agree with previous poster, you are going overboard with all the different papers. Be more focused, and find teachers who can really review the fine detail of your own syllabus with you.


Interesting, thanks I will bear that in mind - however more practice and better understanding can only help.

I self-teach, I cannot afford to get a teacher for math since I already have one for physics and don't have enough money - I was told by other tsr posters who have got a*s in the a level maths/fm that doing more papers helps.

Original post by TenOfThem
Understand - if you understand the material you do not need any of your long list

It sounds as though you do not understand but you think that doing enough questions will mean that you get a question that is the same as one you have done


Interesting, yeah that is true - but with unpredicatable papers e.g. C3 June 2013 can't be sure on the bog standard format.

Repeating questions would never happen on an A Level paper.


Original post by loperdoper
No MEI love? :frown:

As above, whilst your dedication is admirable, that's way overboard. Understand the content, learn how to make sure all your working out is written in such a way that you hit max marks, and practise a lot (although maybe not as much as you have listed)


If there is time, I would consider myself to be doing more than the norm but again trying to balance it all.

Thank you I am working on my layout, how would you recommend I improve my understanding :smile:
Original post by Damien_Dalgaard
If there is time, I would consider myself to be doing more than the norm but again trying to balance it all.

Thank you I am working on my layout, how would you recommend I improve my understanding :smile:


If you look at your textbook, (this is a maybe for you, I can only speak for MEI), it generally has a proof of how you get to a specific formula/technique. It can make things easier to remember (like if you told the average person to simply remember that tanx=sinx/cosx, they'll have a harder time than if you explained how you get to tanx=sinx/cosx). I personally didn't get 100UMS, nowhere near, but that kind of background understanding pulled me up from D grades to B grades.
Original post by loperdoper
If you look at your textbook, (this is a maybe for you, I can only speak for MEI), it generally has a proof of how you get to a specific formula/technique. It can make things easier to remember (like if you told the average person to simply remember that tanx=sinx/cosx, they'll have a harder time than if you explained how you get to tanx=sinx/cosx). I personally didn't get 100UMS, nowhere near, but that kind of background understanding pulled me up from D grades to B grades.


Interesting so have more than one way of approaching things. I like that - and that is true.

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